Mauricio Pochettino, the current head coach of the United States national team, revealed the behind-the-scenes reasons for his failure to transition to coaching Real Madrid, following the departure of French coach Zinedine Zidane from the royal club.

Pochettino said in a press interview: "When I was a player, I had the opportunity to join Real Madrid, but it did not materialize. As a coach, there were also several opportunities, but in football, things depend on timing."

Regarding the reason he did not coach Real Madrid: "I don't know if I should tell the story or not, but after Zidane's departure, there was a significant possibility of signing with Real Madrid, and of course, there were other coaches on the table."

He concluded: "At that time, I had given my word to Daniel Levy (the chairman of Tottenham) to stay until the new stadium was completed. I told Real Madrid that if Levy gave me the approval, I would go, but I don't know what happened after that. Most likely, he did not grant me the approval."

Pochettino emphasized that his respect for his word to Tottenham was one of the main reasons he stayed with Spurs despite the great temptation to coach the Spanish giant.